That heart you caught must be waiting for you
by Desireforwords
Summary: A fic-challange to The Twin Exchange monthly challenge, jan 2012. A 10 year old Hermione decides to celebrate new year with herself, and a lost 11 year old boy discoverers magic. One-shot, pre-Hogwarts.


_A/N: I do not own anything from Harry Potter. English isn't my native language, so excuse any mistakes in the text. _

_This is my fiction to the Twin Exchange Monthly challenge, January 2012. _

_Prompt: Wind_

_Pairing: Hermione/Fred_

_Quotes: "Do I have to answer that?"_

_Theme: New Year's_

* * *

><p><strong>The heart you caught must be waiting for you<strong>

**by **

**Desireforwords**

Hermione Granger was wandering around in the streets around her block. It was the 31st of December 1989 and Hermione was 10 years old. It wasn't that cold for being late-December but she was well covered in layers of clothes. This was her own tradition, as being an only child with not many friends had taught her to take her own steps in life. She had started this tradition when she was 7, when her parents for the first time had let her be alone on New Year's Eve.

She didn't mind being alone at New Year's, it was actually something she had nagged her parents about; not coming with them to their relatives. She felt even more alone there, with all the drunken grown-ups. She loved to watch the snow fall under the street lamps instead; it was beautiful, silent and truly moving. She continued her traditional walk along the streets and longed until she would reach her 12 o'clock stone. The stone she always sat on when the present year was no more.

-WWW-

Fred Weasley was lost. It was New Year's Eve and he and his brothers had all played catch with their brooms. Their youngest sister wasn't allowed to fly yet, so she was home. Fred was 11 years old, and had proudly enough already counted the days until his 12th birthday. 92 days excluding today. He had fell of his broom when he had tried (and succeeded) to not be caught by his older brother Charlie. By his misfortune the others had not seen him fall and he was lost in the middle of a muggle neighbourhood without broom.

Fred almost knew which direction his house was in and started walking. He guessed the broom had flown back to the Burrow, a spell his mother had cast on the brooms to ensure they wouldn't lose any. He started to walk along the street while looking at the picturesque houses with Christmas decorations on top of them. Sometimes he felt sorry for himself, not being able to grow up like a normal human being. Then he remembered things like turning Ron's teddy bear into a spider, and he stopped feeling sorry for himself with a laugh.

After walking 4 miles he stopped. He was tired and he knew it was soon midnight. The wind had caught the trees and it was getting colder than before. The others were probably looking for him and Fred thought they would find him easier if he stayed in one place. Exhausted, he found a big stone to rest on and he pulled up his knees to his chin as he watched the fireworks fill the windy sky.

-WWW-

Hermione was walking faster when she looked at her wristwatch to see that the time was almost midnight. The wind caught her hat and she had to hold it down on her head to prevent it from flying away. She saw the last turn and smiled broadly, she knew the stone would be just around the bend.

She stopped. There was someone on _her_ stone. How could someone be sitting on her stone? She couldn't understand why someone, except herself, would be alone at New Year's Eve, and simultaneously be sitting on her stone.

"Excuse me, sir. You're sitting on my stone!"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Oh, you're not a sir. You're not much older than I am." Hermione said. She had no idea where her courage came from, but she intended on getting her stone back no matter what.

"I didn't know this was your stone." The red-headed boy said. His hair blew beautifully in the wind and Hermione had a quick thought about having a picture of his hair framed.

"Well, it's not _my_ stone. But I've sat on it the last 3 years on every New Year's Eve."

"Don't you have any family to be with?"

"Do I have to answer that?" Just as she spoke the words, her hat was caught in the wind and twirled around in the wind, just like it was dancing. She sighed and tried to calm her brushy hair down from getting wild just like a lion's mane. The boy giggled at her attempt.

"What's your name, if I can ask that?"

"He- Hermione." She was getting nervous; his giggle about her hair had hurt. People always made fun of her hair.

"I'm Fred. Don't look so sad, I can help you get your hat back." She smiled shyly at Fred and nodded. Maybe he wasn't giggling _at_ her. They sprinted towards the flying hat together and she smiled when Fred roared when he missed the hat by inches.

-WWW-

Fred was chasing a hat for a little girl who he just had met. He felt silly, but when he looked at her, laughing beside him when they ran and jumped he felt really happy. He doubted she laughed like this very often, at least it didn't seem like it. He knew a joker like the back of his hand, and this girl was not a joker. He stopped and just looked at the little girl jumping and laughing. There was something special with her. It seemed the hat chose its way around Hermione so she wouldn't catch it, but still close enough to make her laugh at it. It looked magical. She couldn't be his age yet, so she had to be 10 or less. This meant…

-WWW-

The boy had stopped. She turned around with a broad smile on her lips and as just as she met his eyes the hat stopped dancing in the wind and fell to her side in the snow. She knew this, but she couldn't take his eyes of him.

"How old are you Hermione?"

"I'm turning 11 next year."

"I'm 11 right now." The boy smiled like he knew something. She smiled back and took a step forward towards him. He walked towards her and picked her hat up, placed it back on Hermione's head and brushed her cheek as he put his arm back to place again. They stood like that; looking at each other until the fireworks once again filled the sky and the clock tower struck midnight.

**Prompt: Wind**

**Pairing: Hermione/Fred**

**Quotes: "Do I have to answer that?"**

**Theme: New Year's**


End file.
